Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Short Interest Down 16.8% in March

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 11,469,470 shares, a decrease of 16.8% from the February 26th total of 13,780,778 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,685,695 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days. Currently, 4.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $154.52 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.00 billion, a PE ratio of 25.21, a PEG ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $180.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $187.60. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $127.59 and a twelve month high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The business had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,713 shares of company stock valued at $536,881. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% in the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price target (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $191.62.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.